


in the arms of a stranger

by sophh



Series: Shades of Heartbreak Weather [10]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Gen, No Romance, Sharing a Bed, Stars & Scars, in which Remus is NOT British, summer camp!au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:49:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26690134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophh/pseuds/sophh
Summary: Sirius is sent to summer camp in America. On his first night there, he ends up making an unexpected friend.
Relationships: Sirius Black & Remus Lupin
Series: Shades of Heartbreak Weather [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1930666
Kudos: 7





	in the arms of a stranger

**Author's Note:**

> No romance in this one! Also, this is a summer camp!AU and Remus is not British (I wanted him to be but I didn't feel there was room to explain that within the story and have it flow well).

"I'll have you all know I'm only here because my parents wanted to be rid of me for the summer," Sirius said, crossing his arms. He wasn't lying—his parents had made no secret of the fact that they did not want him around.

Sending him off to summer camp all the way across the ocean in America? That definitely got him out of their hair.

Sirius was hardly bitter about it, though. Being in a new country, away from his parents, meant that he had the freedom he so rarely got at home. He could yell, run around, and play games—or at least, he could until the counselors made him stop. Still, he would take that over the stuffiness of the Black household any day.

Another boy in his group, a rather mousy child who was wearing a t-shirt so ratty that Sirius' mother would have a heart attack if she saw it, piped up, "What accent is that? It sounds British."

"It _is_ British," Sirius replied with all the smugness of a wealthy, posh eleven-year-old. He looked around at the other boys in the cabin imperiously. "Does anyone else have any questions for me?"

By this time, however, the boys had moved on and were talking amongst themselves. Sirius sighed. Commanding the attention of others was not as easy as his father made it seem.

"Alright, campers!" Bobby, a sixteen-year-old pretending to be an adult—or a counselor, as he was otherwise known—clapped his hands together. After a few moments, the chattering campers fell silent. "It'll be lights-out soon, so pick a bunk and get ready for bed."

The circle dispersed as the campers all went looking for the perfect sleeping spot. Sirius immediately went for a lower bunk by the window, so that he could see the stars before falling asleep. As luck would have it, the mousy boy who had asked Sirius about his accent ended up in the bed above to his.

"Goodnight," he said shyly, giving Sirius a funny little wave before climbing up to the top bunk.

"Night." Sirius slid his two suitcases under the bed, then climbed onto the thin mattress. It was far less comfortable than his bed at home, but he didn't mind. At least while he was at camp, he didn't have to dread waking up to a quiet, lonely existence.

As Sirius waited to grow tired, he stared out at the night sky. It was a beautiful inky black, and the stars glinted like the diamonds in Walburga Black's jewelry. He had never seen anything so beautiful, or so vast.

...

Sirius didn't remember falling asleep, but he knew that he must have when he suddenly awoke to a rumble of thunder. Glancing out the window, he found that it was raining—hard. Seconds later, a flash of lightning lit up the darkness.

"Pssst," Sirius heard a soft voice whisper. "Are you awake down there?"

It was the boy in the top bunk.

Sirius strongly considered not answering, but he was curious as to what the other boy was up to, so he quietly said that he was and waited for an explanation. Instead, he felt his mattress shift as a small figure crawled onto his bed.

"What are you doing?" he hissed, scooching to the side of the bed as a pillow just like his own was placed next to his.

The boy sniffed and laid down beside Sirius. "I can't sleep. I'm—I'm scared."

"Go and wake Bobby then, that's what he's here for, isn't it?" Sirius asked. He felt, rather than saw, the boy shake his head.

"I don't want to wake up half the cabin," he mumbled. "The others might make fun of me."

"And you thought I wouldn't? I suppose I'm flattered," Sirius said.

"I had no idea, actually," the boy said tearfully, "but I couldn't just stay up there by myself."

Sirius' heart went out to the boy. He didn't mind thunderstorms, but his bunkmate clearly did. "It's alright, you're safe with me," he said in what he hoped was a soothing voice. "I'm Sirius, by the way. What's your name again?"

They had done introductions earlier that day but Sirius had been too excited about the many activities the camp offered to pay any attention to names. He wasn't there to make friends, he was there to have _fun_.

"I'm Remus," the boy said.

"Right. Well, it's nice to meet you, Remus," Sirius said as another clap of thunder boomed.

"It's nice to meet you too, Sirius."

Another bolt of lightning gave Sirius a brief glimpse of his bunkmate. The poor boy had his arms wrapped around himself. Sirius hesitated, then offered up some of his scratchy grey blanket. He wasn't used to sharing, but he felt a sort of happiness when Remus accepted the proffered bedding.

"Would you mind talking to me a little bit?" Remus asked as he tucked the blanket around himself. "I'd love to know more about England, if you don't mind."

"Tell you what," Sirius said, "I'll tell you all about jolly old England until you fall asleep."

It was odd at first, having another person in bed with him, but he soon grew used to the feeling. Though Remus fell asleep quickly, judging by his gentle snores, Sirius found it hard to settle down again. Eventually, however, he drifted off too.

When he awoke, it was starting to grow light out. A slight pressure on his side made him realize that Remus' arms were around him. His first instinct was to shove the other boy away, but he didn't want to accidentally push him off the bed. That could lead to awkward questions.

"Remus," he said instead, poking the boy's bony shoulder. "Remus, wake up."

Remus stirred. "Mmm?"

"You should probably move back to your bunk before the others wake up and see you."

There was a slight creak as his bunkmate pushed himself off of the mattress and stepped onto the floor. "Thanks," he whispered.

"Don't forget your pillow," Sirius whispered back, handing it to him.

Remus smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks. And...thanks for being so nice to me last night."

"Of course," Sirius shrugged. "What else are friends for?"

Remus' eyes went wide, and Sirius felt equally shocked by the words that had just come out of his mouth. He was quickly realizing that camp would be more fun with a partner in crime, though. His bunkmate hardly seemed like the troublemaking sort, but perhaps that would come in handy.

"Friends," Remus said. He uttered it with a sort of awe, as though he had never used the word before. Sirius didn't often use it himself, so he understood where Remus was coming from.

A smile slowly broke out across the dark-haired boy's face. "Yeah, friends."

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts: (emotion) fear, (trope) sharing a bed


End file.
